Our little family of three is expecting a new little visitor to this Earth in about 6 months. We couldn’t be any more thrilled to be adding to our family, our family story, our traditions, our memories, our hearts.

It took us a full 5 years to be at a point where we felt semi-ready (you’re never fully ready, right?) to go through babyhood again. On the other hand, the older and more self-managed Peanut gets, the harder it seems to be starting over with a fully-reliant infant. It’s so easy to do most things with a well-disciplined 5-year-old. With a baby, I know it will be a monumental task just to go across town. And potty training again? Oy. But really, in the big picture of “family,” those things mean nothing. When it comes to everything from day-to-day life to celebrating Christmases at home to taking family vacations, all of our lives will be enriched by the incorporation of our new family member.

Peanut is beyond excited about “his” new baby. He’s already taking ownership with his big brother status. He kisses my belly and gives the baby hugs all the time and I can already see his little heart making room for this new sibling of his. He wants the baby to sleep in his room and he says he’ll take care of everything. His well-meaning words are enough to warm a mother’s heart. We know that having a sibling will be good for him.

We got to see the baby last week at our first OB appointment. Doc couldn’t find the heartbeat, which is normal this early in pregnancy, so they did a quick scan. The baby was moving around so much that it was no wonder the doc couldn’t nail down a heartbeat. In the ultrasound, we could actually see the heartbeat, not just hear it. At just 1.5 inches, it’s amazing how human-like this tiny little bean already is! I keep those pictures with me at all times. When I start to feel defeated by sickness, I just peek at the pictures and reflect on what this is all for.

It hasn’t all been pretty pink and blue roses though. For one, I’ve been pretty darn sick. In fact, last week, I was so sick to the point of tears. I know I don’t have it as bad as some women, but still, feeling like you have the flu or an awful hangover all day every day for days on end does begin to wear a person down, even a person with a pretty high threshold for pain/discomfort.

With the morning all day sickness and fatigue, I haven’t been very active. Pregnancy is a time where you must listen to your body. Mine is saying rest and I’m more than willing to listen. I’ve really been taking this time to sloooow down. For the most part, I’ve put my ambitious to-do lists away in favor of just the must-get-dones like paying bills and even doing dishes. My eating habits have been much different than they were pre-pregnancy. Simple carbs are sometimes the only things I can keep down, and I’m not ashamed that there have been Pop-Tarts and granola bars involved.

In the midst of the pregnancy news, we’ve also taken some hard hits in our family recently. After one little trip to the ER, my dad learned he had cancer and in a whirlwind of activity had tons of tests and surgery all within one week. He’s starting chemo today, and I still don’t think this diagnosis has quite sunk in for any of us. If you’d like to follow along with his story or show your support, check out our fundraising page.

At the same time, my grandma was navigating her way through the end stages of cancer. With our religious family background and strong faith, her passing was more peaceful than I would ever have imagined. She’s in heaven with grandpa, there’s no doubt in my mind, and what’s better than that? We got to say our goodbyes, which is a blessing in itself. I just melted under the last long hug she gave me, the “I love you’s” and the sweetest, most precious prayer in my ear for me and the baby.

I think it’s safe to say that I am pretty much off-the-hook for being MIA. So much is happening and all my energies have been focused on family in various ways with little room for anything, let alone a blog post here and there. I’m pretty sure my lack of posting even affected my application to be a FitFluential Ambassador, but I shall just try again next time they open applications up.

I will be back to posting again soon, though probably not as predictably. I’ve got some projects and posts up my sleeve already. I’ve been itching to get at the sewing machine. I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to Baby Fever that I have been keeping secret for months. Now, I’m finally pulling up my sleeves and ready to start sourcing some fabric. I can’t wait to share what I’m up to on here. And if I get really ambitious and start feeling better, I may even post a prenatal workout or two, who knows?